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Hi friends! Have you ever had a really daunting task? I am the queen of short, instant gratification projects. I could write a blog article every day for a year with no problem but if I had to write a 365 page book I would be overwhelmed, even if I had a year to do it! I realized that tasks can seem manageable or daunting depending on how we look at them. I am currently in the middle of a children’s book illustration job. The deadline is tight and I ordinarily would not have accepted a job with such a short deadline but the success of the book depends on it being ready for this years catalog for bookstores. Also I am friends with the author and I don’t want to screw up someone else’s dream. I had to start the process with the cover of he book which I would prefer to do last after getting a feel for the book and the other illustrations. People, despite good advice, judge a book by it, that is a lot of pressure! Creating the cover was like pushing a boulder up a hill on an unfamiliar path, you think you are at the top but the author needs a change, so you plod away some more and you think you reach the top and the publisher needs a change and then you finally do reach flat ground. phew!

Now, instant gratification “me” would be running for the hills (or maybe start a massive declutter of her house instead of buckling down and getting this job done…) but luckily responsible-artist-in-her-right-mind “me” grabbed the wheel and set this ship strait. I sat down with a stack of white paper, a copy of my friends manuscript and a pencil and sketched out 12 illustrations, and you know what? They were pretty darn good. I was so caught up in the immense size of the project and short deadline that I forgot that I have trained my whole life for this. I draw every day. I am always creating. I am ready for this. I don’t need to go 0-60 because I am always cruising down the art highway at 65. You don’t have to get ready if you stay ready.

A few works in progress I am evaluating, it is always best to take a break before you are “done” and see them with fresh eyes.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by a project whether it be a work, school or personal project remember that you have been training for this, or, if you haven’t, cut yourself some slack and just start somewhere. Just starting is often all you need to do. I hope you are having a great week! We will have a live show tomorrow at 12:30pm eastern time, I hope you can make it. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Oh my gosh, Lindsay! Those paintings look wonderful! Is there any way we could get a tutorial on something similar to that lighthouse on the cliff? Not the exact same thing, of course, but I love the seaspray crashing against the cliff!

And thank you for the advice; I’m currently struggling with WANTING to paint every day, but not knowing what to do!

I have seen the cover of this book and you have nothing to worry about!! The other sketches shown here are beautiful too!! Would love to see you paint more dogs as I have seen your cat paintings. Love you and Enjoy the journey.

Thank you so much for expressing your philosophy in a way that makes all my endless tasks seem do-able. I tend to do a little on each task so none are ever done and that keeps me frustrated and justifies my clutter which is also frustrating. You helped me know what I can do to change that. So generous of you to share that with us. Marie

This was right on for me! Thank you for the post and the encouragement. The pictures are wonderful, what a great friend you are, and I know that book will be a success, not only because of your extraordinary talents, but because of the love you are putting into the project.

First of all, you make beautiful illustrations and I love to watch you painting – I learned a lot from you. The second thing is, you are so so right about the possibility of a big task being overwhelming. You just have to start somewhere. (That’s exactly what I thought when I started writing my thesis after years of researched – suddenly it wasn’t just a paper but a real book that had to be written.)

Great post and very inspiring! Beautiful paintings! I can so relate to the dilemma you faced but you did overcome it and maybe next time it will be easier?? You really are a beautiful talented individual and must not doubt yourself.

Good for you, I often psych myself out of doing things because I think it will be too hard or take too long. And I’ve got that “do something else” technique perfected to a SCIENCE. Just jump in and do it, it’s never as bad as we think it’s going to be. You go girl! Congratulations on moving forward and producing such remarkable work. You should be very proud. What a great role model you are for your kids.

Hi Lindsay 🙂
Thank you for your mini-pep talk. You are such a talented person and I/we are so blessed to have your daily videos, etc. as you inspire and teach us to follow our dreams or hobbies; THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Your children’s book illustrations are beautiful. I wish you continued success.
Also, please take time to unwind, when you can, as you need time to re-energize, when the need arises.
Take care.
Linda

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Thanks for the inspirational advice, Lindsay. I’m a huge procrastinator and starting a big project is always a struggle. It’s nice to hear that other people have the same problems and figured out how to solve them. BTW, what paint set is that in the picture?

Winsor & Newton 1/2 pan set of 24, I got it on amazon for $80 around Christmas, I really like it! It came from UK, society for all artists was the seller Ithink, it took a month to get here but worth it for the discount!

I love watching your live streams on painting. I often struggle with the thought of why I am not making a great piece of art to hang on my wall. Thank you so much for giving me a different perspective and thinking about my daily art practice as training. For some reason I don’t always associate ‘practice’ with ‘training’ which in itself sounds ridiculous. I have no trouble starting on a blank page in my art journal, like you say it is only a piece of paper but thinking about working on a canvas and I’m totally lost. Where do I start? How do I start? What happens if I mess up or it comes out looking like crap? Oh, I know I can just paint over it but then my inner critic says “What a waste of paint. You’ll never create anything beautiful enough to hang on your wall.” Ugh, I just want to gag her… lol I would be terrified to do illustrations for a book, my inner critic would have a blast with me. She would be pulling out all her party streamers and dancing the fandango celebrating my failure to try something that would stretch my boundaries and teach her how awesome I really am. You are such a positive influence both in your posts and in your videos. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for being there to show all of us we won’t kill over and die from trying to do something we’ve never done before. You are awesome.

You are spot on with your advice and something that warrants being reminded of. You are so talented and I look forward to buying the book when it comes out. Your illustrations are beautiful. When I was a child, one of our books was about a boy and girl (Alice and Jerry) who lived in a seaside village. I remember those fascinating illustrations. I had never seen the ocean before and that book transported me away. Your renditions do the same. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Lindsay: QUESTION I can’t comment (anymore) on you live painting youtube post because it flips me out saying ‘you need a channel or your name has not been set’. I have commented before. What is with that? Can you help?

Also, I think the photo you used of your lighthouse painting March 10 is of Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia.

Best of success for you and the author! I have made a cover before… I know it’s not easy. I have never illustrated a whole book though. I hope we will get to see a flip-through when it’s ready. Would love to see it.

Lindsay, you are a jewel! Your pep talk came at just the right time. I’m in the process of cleaning out my studio and getting rid of things I never use and never will, so I will be less distracted by clutter. Procrastination is always whispering in my ear so it was great to read what you wrote. Thanks for your devotion to your blog. It keeps me going.

I Will tell you what I think…If you have written a blog article everyday, you already have a book. Organize them, there are your chapters; and I bet you know who can illustrate it! God bless you for the help you’ve given me in just the short time I’ve been tuning in to your YouTubes and reading your blog.

Congratulations Lindsay! You are most inspiring with so much talent and wisdom! My problem is the times I’ve purged my stuff I have always regretted not keeping something because I have finally found a use for that item I discarded. I do admit when I get rid of stuff I feel cleansed! It is freeing but a tough decision as to what should really go and what I should do with it…. sell, donate,